Greenwich solar power program switches on

Justin Pottle

Updated 10:37 pm, Tuesday, October 8, 2013

It is looking like sunny skies ahead for solar power in Greenwich.

The town is one of several chosen to take part in Solarize Connecticut, an initiative that pairs municipalities with local solar installers to provide group discounts and incentives to make going green easier.

Some 40 interested residents turned out for the kick-off of Solarize Greenwich last week. This 20-week push encourages residents to install solar panels at their homes to lower energy bills and shrink carbon footprints.

At the Oct. 2 meeting at Town Hall, representatives from the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, a quasi-public entity promoting green energy through market-based incentives that is a partner in Solarize Connecticut, and from Stamford-based solar suppliers Renewable Resources Energy Solutions explained just what exactly the town has in store over the next several months of the program.

"We tried and summarize Solarize Greenwich in one word, but we really needed three -- solar, simple, together," said Bob Wall, CEFIA's marketing and outreach director. "Many people have questions about solar -- does it really work in Connecticut? It doesn't seem that sunny.

"You're usually envisioning far off places like Arizona and California when you think solar, but the truth is solar works extremely well in Connecticut."

The state gets more sun each year on average than Germany, the world's leading adopter of solar energy, Wall said.

The Solarize Connecticut program works by leveraging group discounts through paired installers -- in Greenwich's case, Renewable Resources -- and introducing pricing tiers that decrease installation costs as more residents sign contracts.

The benefits of going solar are numerous, especially in Connecticut, where electricity costs are the highest in the continental U.S., said Tom Loredo, managing director of Renewable Resources.

"You can reduce, and in some cases, even eliminate the purchase of electricity from your utility companies," he said, acknowledging that solar could also hedge against rising energy costs and increase home values.

But it's not just residents that can gain with Solarize Greenwich.

"Greenwich participates in the Clean Energy Community," said Denise Savageau, the town's conservation director, "and we get points with the state for doing certain things related to clean energy. These points can be used to finance capital projects like putting solar panels on schools.

"Anyone who signs up benefits from getting a tiered discount, but it also benefits the town because we get points for capital improvements."

Beyond funding for new projects, a greater solar energy presence in Greenwich can also have tangible environmental effects in Fairfield County.

"Because of our carbon production, we have really bad air quality here," Savageau said. "Anything we can do to reduce carbon will improve our air quality. There's a real effect on peoples health."

Savageau said about 62 Greenwich families have signed up for an evaluation of their home's potential for solar power, which Renewable Resources is offering for free during the Solarize Greenwich program. Not all houses are the same when it comes to solar efficiency, Loredo said -- the efficacy of solar panels depends on roof size, angle, positioning, and shading, among other factors.

Town officials are hoping that as panels start going up and neighbors' success stories begin making the rounds, interest in installation will build. And while only 35 signed contracts are needed to reach the lowest pricing tier, Savageau believes a larger number is possible.

"Last year, the town of Durham had over 100 contracts signed," she said, "and that's a very small town."

Durham has just over 6,600 residents, while Greenwich has almost 10 times that many.

But despite the potential, solar adoption in town has been sluggish. Town agencies estimate that, based on rebate applications, roughly 25 to 30 homes have installed solar fixtures prior to the program.

Supporters of solar energy believe it has a bright future in Greenwich.

"These efforts will continue to keep Greenwich great for many generations in an ever changing world," First Selectman Peter Tesei said in support of Solarize Greenwich.